The Fish & The Dolphins
by Tinni
Summary: Rin has a bad dream and at 12:30 at night, there is really only one person he can call. WARNING: Contains spoilers from High Speed!, the concept novel for Free! that's set during the final year of the boys elementary school.


**The Fish & The Dolphins**

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing!

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He was walking, just walking straight ahead, following the footsteps in front of him. Walking in a line his head bowed, eyes fixed on the ground. He couldn't raise his head even if he wanted to. The grief was too much, mingled as it was with his own and those around him. His eyes were raw from crying, the sting of the icy wind that was blowing only added to his discomfort. But in a way he was grateful for the wind. It would have been terrible if the day had been sunny and bright because then he would know that the world was mocking him. Reminding him how insignificant he really was. How insignificant they had been, Those men who had taken on the sea to earn a living. Those men who were now dead.

He felt tears well-up in his eyes again, he tried to fight them but it was no use. He was about to raise his hand to wipe them away when he felt someone's eyes upon. He turned around to glare at whoever was staring at him so relentlessly and came face to face with, "Haru!"

It was Haru at 17, not Haru as he had been back then. But his expression was the same as it was back then: confused and discomforted. Makoto stood behind Haru, holding on to Haru with an expression of terror on his face, just as he was back then. Back then they didn't know what they were witness, they didn't find out until years later. They had also not known each other back then. They wouldn't properly meet for years to come. But Rin knows them in his dream and he can tell they know him too. Yet the events play out just as it had back then. One moment Haru was staring at him, the next he had turned and ran, with Makoto following behind.

Back then Rin had done nothing, simply turned around and resumed his mournful possession. But in this dream he called out, "Haru! Stop! Haru! Haru...!"

* * *

Rin jerked awake and found himself staring up at the underside of Nitori's bed. He hoped like hell he had not called out loud because the last thing he wanted right now was to deal with Nitori. Besides, not like Nitori would understand or care. He wasn't there.

Rin checked his clock, 12:30 AM. Too late to do anything but he wasn't sleepy anymore. He also didn't want to lay awake thinking. He just didn't. Maybe he could steal down to the common room and do something down there. It wouldn't be too unusual. But truth be told Rin didn't want to do anything either. He didn't want to sleep, he didn't want to do anything, he just... he just wanted to talk. But there was no one he could talk to... especially not at 12:30 AM.

Suddenly Rin stood-up and grabbed his phone. There was someone he could talk to. Someone who was there and kind hearted enough to not be angry to be woken-up at 12:30 at night even by a person who had been giving him the cold shoulder up until now.

* * *

The ringing phone jolted Makoto wide awake in seconds. He didn't get a lot of calls and so never really had a need to turn his ringer down. If his phone was ringing, something was up and he needed to pick-up asap.

He grabbed the phone without seeing who was calling and immediately asked, "Haru! What's wrong?" It was the obvious deduction. He was at home and his entire family was sleeping mere meters away from him. They wouldn't call him. So the only person who could be calling him at this time of the night would be Haru.

Only it wasn't, "It's Rin."

"Rin," repeated Makoto, shocked, "Are you alright?" he asked immediately, concerned. Why would Rin be calling him if he wasn't in trouble.

"Before we get to that," said Rin, now thoroughly amused, "Does Haru call you so much in the middle of the night that you immediately assume its him?"

Makoto relaxed a bit. Whatever Rin's reason for calling, it clearly wasn't that urgent, "Not really. I just couldn't imagine who else would call me this time of the night."

"Sorry about that," said Rin, "I just..." he trailed off. Makoto waited, "Do you remember when we met?" asked Rin after a short pause.

"Something tells me you don't mean when we met at the tournament," said Makoto. Rin did not reply, so Makoto continued, "I remember your father's funeral. I don't think I will ever forget it. It was... awful..."

"Are you still afraid of the water?" Rin asked in a seeming change of subject, only they both knew it wasn't really.

"Terrified," replied Makoto, "That's why I swim on my back!" he added with a laugh.

Rin didn't join in, instead he said, "I dreamt of that day, tonight. It... disturbed me..." Makoto waited for Rin to continue, finally Rin added, "Because you and Haru turned your back to me and ran, just like you did back then. I don't know why it bothered me. It didn't back then. Back then I was just relieved to be free of your intense stares but in my dream..."

Makoto waited for Rin to continue, he did not. So Makoto asked a question that had been burning inside of him since Rin returned, "What happened in Australia?"

The silence was long enough that Makoto wondered if Rin had hung-up but finally Rin replied, "I walked off the block."

"Huh?"

"Australian school years go from January to December. The major swimming tournaments usually happen in February, which is the end of summer in Australia. I was... I was in one of the biggest tournaments. In the finals, the sure bet unless one of my rivals managed an upset... and I walked off the block," Rin explained.

"Why?" wondered Makoto, shocked to hear that Rin had walked away from a race in such a disrespectful way.

"I didn't want to swim anymore," replied Rin, "What was the point?" he wandered, "I worked so hard but Haru still beat me. I went back and worked harder. Built-up muscles, improved my form... all it did was start a rumour that I was on drugs."

"Rin," whispered Makoto, his heart aching at the broken tone in Rin's voice.

"All my friends turned against me. Believed I was cheating even though I would never do something like that. It all caught-up with me on the starting block and I knew I wouldn't be able to give it my all. Wouldn't be able to swim my hardest, so I decided not to swim at all," Rin sighed, "It didn't go down very well of course. My club suspended me, my school threatened to take my scholarship away and I just had enough. I packed-up and left. Thankfully, school doesn't start in Japan until the April, so I had time to arrange things. I don't know why I picked Samezuka Academy or frankly how I got in. When I boarded that plane to return, the last thing I wanted to do was swim. Because... because... I think I hate swimming!"

"Don't say that Rin!" cried Makoto, "You can't stop swimming! Not you, never! You and Haru, you belong in the water! If you stopped swimming Rin, you would, you would..."

"Drown?" offered Rin.

"Don't say that!" Makoto chided and then sighed, "I am glad you are swimming again and so is Haru. In fact, Haru wouldn't be swimming if you weren't back. So... please don't stop! You'll regain your passion! I know you will."

"And what about you?" asked Rin, "Why did you never stop?"

"I fear the water, but I love to swim and as long as Haru's with me, I will always find a way to conquer my fear," replied Makoto.

"Dolphins do swim in pods," acknowledged Rin.

"Ah?"

"I always thought you swam like a killer whale but killer whales are not whales but are a type of dolphin. You and Haru, you are the same. It's me who is different," Rin explained.

"But we are all friends! Aren't we," was it a question or a statement, Makoto himself wasn't sure.

"Haru's my rival," replied Rin, "You... well, we don't swim the same strokes anymore," Rin sighs, "Thank for the talk Makoto, just do me a favour and don't tell Haru... anything."

"I won't since you don't want me to," replied Makoto, also sighing, "As for the talk, anytime Rin, anytime."

"Thanks," said Rin before hanging-up. He would do his best not to call Makoto again but knowing that he was there, willing to listen made Rin very happy. Everybody needed a lovable orca in their life and Rin was glad to have his.

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**Author's Note:** So I spent my Free! less week reading-up translations and summaries of High Speed! the novel which outlines the concept for Free! and is set during the final year of the boys elementary school when Rin, Makoto, Haru and Nagisa teamed-up in a relay. In it we find out that Rin and Gou's father died when they were young, we also find out Makoto and Haru actually first met Rin during Rin's father's funeral and Makoto has a terrible phobia of water. It's actually a super angsty novel for a story about 11/12 year olds!

Anyway, I have also been musing what could have happened to Rin in Australia, and after awhile i just decided to stop resisting and write this fic. Hope someone somewhere enjoys this.


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